Hour 10

Pages read: 42

Total: 186

Time reading: 42 min

Total: 2 hrs 58 min

Books completed: 1

Blogs visited: 3

Total: 3

Mini-challenges completed: 2 ( "Collaborative Fiction" and BrownGirl Bookspeak's "In Other Words")

Since my last check-in, I have had some major plumbing issues. I went down to the basement to throw in a load of laundry, and sewage was coming out of the floor drain - lovely. So, I called my parents and the plumber, and it's as fixed as it's going to get for now. At least I can use my own bathroom (instead of my neighbors) and won't have to worry about it happening again, at least until this read-a-thon is over! ARGH! I've lost too many hours to this going on, which I'm hoping I can make up for later on. Shit.

At any rate, I'm planning on getting right back into reading as soon as I make myself a cup of tea and change loads of laundry.

Hour 4

Pages read: 144

Total: 144

Time reading: 1 hr 15 min

Total: 2 hrs 16 min

Books completed: 1

Blogs visited: 3

Total: 3

Mini-challenges completed: 1

Notes: Ran to the post office, did a little work for Job #2, all while listening to "Eat, Pray, Love". I'm getting ready to turn off the audiobook for awhile and start physically reading again. Oops! - need to let the cats upstairs for a little playtime first. There, all done.

Also had breakfast, my second cup of coffee (I think that's all the caffeine I can handle for awhile), and while I can't say it's exactly sunny outside, it is getting brighter. Kind of like someone is turning up the brightness knob on a television set. (Anyone else out there remember when TV's had knobs instead of buttons?)

Hour 2

A little late, almost hour 3 really, but I didn't want to stop reading.

Pages read: 144

Total: 144

Time reading: 1 hr 1 min

Total: 1 hr 1 min

Books completed: 1

Blogs visited: 0

Total: 0

Mini-challenges completed: 0

I think I'll have to take a break and hop in the shower. I need to mail something out at the post office and find something to eat. Will be back before you know it!

Hour 1

Good morning! I've just my first cup of coffee in hand and am ready to get started! Actually, I'm using exclamation points so much because Dear LORD am I tired! It's a grey and gloomy day so far (only 7 a.m.) and we're supposed to be getting storms today and tomorrow - I think this may be my kryptonite, folks. At any rate, I'm going to be getting on with things in just a few.

1) Where are you reading from today?

My home outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

2) Three random facts about me ...

I own over twenty coats, I love Nathan Fillion, and I'm seriously considering leaving Facebook.

3) How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

Dozens, really. I'm reading over 10 books right now - I know, it's a sickness.

4) Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon?

I'm going to low-ball myself this time and say that I'd like to read 3 books. I'll probably do more than that, really, but I don't want to guilt myself into a larger number just because. My focus is going to be on books that I'm already reading, but I'd like to randomly pick a book or two from my shelves, something I haven't really done before in a Thon.

5) If you're a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Yes! Take breaks, please! Don't over-caffeinate yourself either, and if you feel yourself starting to wane, hop online or do a mini Dance Party by yourself for a couple of songs to get your blood pumping again. You may look like a spaz, but you'll be awake!

Alright, off to start my first book of the Thon, "Daddy Long-Legs" by Jean Webster. See you all soon!

First Quarter Wrap-Up 2011

My goal for this year is to read 121 books, but other than the slim requirement of reading at least 5 in each category (for my 11 in 11 challenge on LibraryThing) I decided to be kind to myself this year and not sweat anything else. I think I need to start "sweating" about the lack of reading in a few of these categories!

Doorstoppers: 2 / 5 read
Contemplate a Classic: 1 / 5
LT Recommends: 4 / 5
PBS'ers: 2 / 5
Main shelf #1, authors A - G: 4 / 5
#2, G - P: 0 / 5
#3, P - Z: 0 / 5
Work bookcase: 1 / 5
Travel bookcase: 2 / 5
Guest Bedroom bookcase: 1 / 5
Magpie Central: 23 / 5

Favorite book of Q: The Library by Sarah Stewart
Least favorite book: The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way

Thoughts: I'm very surprised to have already read 40 books this quarter! Yes, some of them were children's books, but they still count! I've read almost all good books, just the one "stinker", so I hope that trend continues throughout the rest of the year. Something that I need to remind myself of in the future is that I don't need to be totally present for each sentence I read in each book. I can just read them and not be continually looking for the book that "changes my life", nor do I need to make every book I read into some version of that. Sometimes I just exhaust myself!

If I can keep this pace up for the next 9 months, it should be my most prolific reading year ever! Tomorrow I'm participating in Deweys' 24-Hour Read-a-thon, and the only goal I have for myself is to finish at least 3 books that I'm currently reading. (The fact that I'm actually reading from 10 books is a sad state of where my head is these days!) Alright, I'm off to pick up the house and prep some food for my big day of reading tomorrow!

I'm not planning on updating every hour like I have in the past, but if I get antsy enough I might be here every hour. Really, I'd just like to read as much as possible. See you soon!

QiGong Illustrated

"QiGong Illustrated" by Christina J. Barea

Pub: Dec 2010

145 pages

As someone who has always enjoyed yoga, I've long been interested in QiGong but never had a concrete place to start practicing from. (I know what a difference a great or not-so-great teacher can make on a class, and didn't want to jump in to the field without having an idea of what it was like first.) This book is a very nice place to start. While the explanations can be a little uneven sometimes, having color photos of each step in the sequence/movement is incredibly helpful. I'm very glad to have received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and have started incorporating QiGong into my schedule. 3 1/2 stars

The Spice Necklace

"The Spice Necklace" by Ann Vanderhoof

Pub 2009

480 pages

Subtitled "My adventures in Caribbean cooking, eating, and island life", this 450+ page book follows Canadian natives Ann and her husband Steve as they sail around the Caribbean in their boat, Receta, immersing themselves in the similar-but-different island cultures over the period of about 2 years. (This seems to be a follow-up to an earlier book along the same vein, An Embarrassment of Mangoes, and it's not necessary to read them in order.) Chock full of island history, characters, cultural experiences, adventures, over 70 recipes, jokes, and a lot of information about spices and their histories, there is a lot to take in, and it was all very interesting. That being said, it felt like the middle got bogged down, saturated in information, and could have used a sharper editorial pen. However, without eliminating islands (and therefore reference points later on) I don't know how it could have been done.

Most of the recipes sound delicious, and if I was a seafood-lover (which I am not) I'd be in heaven. A handy map of the islands on the inside of the front and back covers is a helpful visual reminder of where they travel to, and of the relative size of the islands. Part of me loved this book and part of me got a bit bored by it. I mean no offense to the author, truly I don't, but it got a little too "Spice Necklace-y" sometimes. A nice addition to the travel lit and foodie genres, it was a mini tropical escape in the midst of a cold and snowy Wisconsin winter. Recommended if traveling and food are things you like to read about. 3.6 stars